NSW floods: Clean-up underway to stop rising tide of rotten debris
The devastating aftermath of the state’s massive floods has left shattered residents facing a monumental clean-up mission
NSW
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The massive mop up job for the state’s waterlogged homes and businesses is far from over as volunteers worked over the weekend to clear away sodden debris.
In townships along the Mid North Coast, the Australian Defence Force, RFS and SES volunteers worked with military efficiency to remove flood soaked furniture, dead animal carcasses and vegetation into trucks which took the rubbish away.
Meanwhile residents on the Hawkesbury in Sydney’s far north west were not out of the woods, with locals from Wisemans Ferry, McDonalds Valley and Webbs Creek still cut off by floodwaters and evacuation orders in place for parts of the region.
Hawkesbury Mayor Patrick Conolly toured the western side of the river yesterday and said there was debris “all over the place”.
“I was at one man’s property at Pitt Town Bottoms and there were a number of boats there that weren’t his,” he said.
“There were whitegoods like fridges and washing machines, bins up in trees, caravans everywhere … it is unbelievable what the water was able to move.”
The damage bill is at $385m according to the Insurance Council of Australia, but that figure is expected to rise.
Residents just north of Kempsey at Stuarts Point were ordered to leave their homes on Friday night after faecal matter was found in the floodwaters.
Kempsey Shire Council general manager Craig Milburn said yesterday those residents could be out of their homes for up to seven days while crews try to pump out the contaminated water.
Further down the seaboard, Mid North Coast Deputy Mayor Claire Pontin said volunteers from the military and the RFS had fast tracked the clean-up to get rid of the smell that is being left behind as the water recedes.
“You can tell an area that has been flooded because you can just smell that rotting vegetation,” she said.
“And then in the towns you have all the rotting carpet coming out of the houses.”
The council will begin installing temporary bridges today to make sure residents can leave their homes safely.
HORSES RIGHT AS REIN AFTER SWIM TO SAFETY
Former jockey Melinda Turner’s beloved horses have been receiving more attention than normal after surviving 24 hours stuck in floodwaters at Fernbank Creek on the mid-north coast.
The five horses have been given the all clear by vets after a dose of antibiotics and tetanus shots.
Ms Turner was one of hundreds of residents who had to evacuate the region last Saturday, forcing the family to swim their horses to safety after losing their stables.
“We swam all five of our horses from the stables, where they just had their heads poking out of the water, to the only dry ground we had left on our house balcony. (We) gave them some hay and had to pray they stayed there,” she said.
“Twenty-four hours later we went back with the water at chest height and thankfully we were able to get them out. I was so thankful to get there on Sunday and see all five horses still there. Just a miracle.”
Ms Turner added: “There has been so much loss … we are some of the lucky ones who still have a home and our five horses.”
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Originally published as NSW floods: Clean-up underway to stop rising tide of rotten debris
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